5. Knoxville, Tennessee

5. Knoxville, Tennessee

John Sommers II/Getty Images

Is the draw here football or fall foliage? It's hard to say, since Knoxville has plenty of both to offer in October. A gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Knoxville is a great starting point for a "leaf peeping" road trip into some of the Southeast's most colorful mountains. And the city itself is building its own "Urban Wilderness," a series of trails designed to connect and expand nearby parks, historic forts and a state wildlife management area to make outdoor activities and the area's natural beauty more accessible. The other colors vying for attention this month, though, are the orange of the University of Tennessee Volunteers and Alabama's Crimson Tide, which roll into town on October 20. (Above: Cordarrelle Patterson # 84 of the Tennessee Volunteers is tackled by Loucheiz Purifoy # 15 of the Florida Gators during the first half of play at Neyland Stadium on September 15, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee.)

Is the draw here football or fall foliage? It's hard to say, since Knoxville has plenty of both to offer in October. A gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Knoxville is a great starting point for a "leaf peeping" road trip into some of the Southeast's most colorful mountains. And the city itself is building its own "Urban Wilderness," a series of trails designed to connect and expand nearby parks, historic forts and a state wildlife management area to make outdoor activities and the area's natural beauty more accessible. The other colors vying for attention this month, though, are the orange of the University of Tennessee Volunteers and Alabama's Crimson Tide, which roll into town on October 20. (Above: Cordarrelle Patterson # 84 of the Tennessee Volunteers is tackled by Loucheiz Purifoy # 15 of the Florida Gators during the first half of play at Neyland Stadium on September 15, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee.) (John Sommers II/Getty Images)

Is the draw here football or fall foliage? It's hard to say, since Knoxville has plenty of both to offer in October. A gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Knoxville is a great starting point for a "leaf peeping" road trip into some of the Southeast's most colorful mountains. And the city itself is building its own "Urban Wilderness," a series of trails designed to connect and expand nearby parks, historic forts and a state wildlife management area to make outdoor activities and the area's natural beauty more accessible. The other colors vying for attention this month, though, are the orange of the University of Tennessee Volunteers and Alabama's Crimson Tide, which roll into town on October 20. (Above: Cordarrelle Patterson # 84 of the Tennessee Volunteers is tackled by Loucheiz Purifoy # 15 of the Florida Gators during the first half of play at Neyland Stadium on September 15, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee.)